Review: Castle & Key Small Batch Bourbon – 4 Years Old vs. 6 Years Old, 2025
Castle & Key has been cranking out all manner of spirits for years, but it’s only in the last few that its bourbon program has really ramped up. Recently the company sent us two samples of its Small Batch offering, which has been evolving since its launch in 2022. What we’re tasting today is the…
Review: 2022 Archimedes Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley
An under-the-radar flagship wine from the Francis Ford Coppola Winery, Archimedes is a luxe cabernet with special occasion vibes all over it. Somehow the 2022 vintage of this wine is exceptionally rich and full of coffee and chocolate notes — without becoming overly dense or cloying. Bright notes of raspberry are clear and quite fresh,…
The Top 10 Gins of 2025
Looks like an early spring any way we size it up, and while we’re sad to see the chilly air vanish (though not the freakin’ ice), we’re happy for the opportunity to break out the shakers and dig into warmer weather cocktails. Gin is a standby for springtime sipping, and 2025 brought us a bounty…
Review: Barrell Bourbon Cask Finish Series: Armagnac
Barrell Bourbon is back on our radar with the latest Cask Finish Series. As a reminder, this is a limited-edition line of specialty finished bourbons that has included some pretty adventurous offerings like Ice Wine. We named that whiskey the best of 2024 and, to our knowledge, something like it has yet to be replicated…
Tasting Report: Wines of Decoy and Greenwing, 2026 Releases
Duckhorn. Decoy. Migration. Paraduxx. Canvasback. Calera. Chances are, if your wine preferences migrate toward west coast of the United States, you’ve crossed paths with one or more from this well-known flock of award-winning wines. Now there’s Featherweight, a low-calorie, low-alcohol entry into the Decoy family, looking to keep taste afloat. Christopher reviewed a few Decoys…
Review: Mijenta Tequila Blanco Maestra Selection No. 2
Last year, Mijenta Tequila launched the first in a series of new special editions called Maestra Selection, each intended to explore a rare facet of tequila and agave production. Selction No. 1 was a high-proof blanco make only from agaves grown from seed. Selection No. 2 is not about how agave plants are grown but…
Review: Hera the Dog Vodka
Launched in 2019, Hera the Dog Vodka is made with 100% organic non-GMO Italian wheat, distilled 7 times, and filtered through coconut charcoal. It is distilled in Nashville, Tennessee and includes no sugar, no preservatives, and no additives. But I’m smitten by the vodka’s name, Hera the Dog, and the cute pup that appears on…
Review: Elkwood Reserve Cask Strength Bourbon 9 Years Old
Bluegrass Distillers was established in Lexington, Kentucky, in 2012 by Ben Franzini and Sam Rock. The following year, the distillery began production on a 250-gallon Hoga copper pot still fired by open flame, frequently working with heirloom corn varieties and placing a particular emphasis on blue corn. In 2020, Bluegrass Distillers acquired the historic Elkwood…